Please feel free to publish this article and resource box
in your ezine, newsletter, offline publication or website.
A copy would be appreciated at bobkelly@TNI.net.
Word count is 1155 including guidelines and resource box.
Robert A. Kelly 2005.
Managers: Yes, You DO Need Public Relations
Why? Because sooner or later, virtually all business,
non-profit and association managers must alter individual
perception leading to changed behaviors among their most
important outside audiences.
And they must help persuade those external publics to
their way of thinking, then move them to take actions
that allow the managers department, group, division or
subsidiary to succeed.
Yes, all managers really DO need public relations.
Which means, should you be such a manager, that you
must do something positive about the behaviors of those
important external audiences of yours that most
affect YOUR operation.
Results can come quickly when business, non-profit
or association managers use public relations to alter
individual perception among their target publics,
leading to changed behaviors which then helps to
achieve their managerial objectives.
Fueling such an effort is the reality that people act
on their own perception of the facts before them,
which leads to predictable behaviors about which
something can be done. When we create, change or
reinforce that opinion by reaching, persuading and
moving-to-desired-action the very people whose
behaviors affect the organization the most, the public
relations mission is accomplished.
If you decide to undertake such an effort, please
keep in mind that your PR effort must demand more
than special events, brochures and press releases if
you are to achieve the quality public relations results
youre counting on.
No end of positive results can come your way. Capital
givers or specifying sources begin to look your way;
fresh proposals for strategic alliances and joint ventures
appear; politicians and legislators starting to view you
as a key member of the business, non-profit or
association communities; customers start to make repeat
purchases; membership applications on the rise;
welcome bounces in show room visits; prospects
starting to do business with you; and community
leaders beginning to seek you out.
Your public relations staffers, who are already in the
perception and behavior business, can be of real use
for your new opinion monitoring project. But be
certain that the PR staff really accepts why its SO
important to know how your most important outside
audiences perceive your operations, products or services.
And make sure they really believe that perceptions
almost always result in behaviors that can help or
hurt your operation.
Meet with your PR folks and review with them your
plans for monitoring and gathering perceptions by
questioning members of your most important outside
audiences. Questions along these lines: how much
do you know about our organization? Have you had
prior contact with us and were you pleased with the
interchange? Are you familiar with our services or
products and employees? Have you experienced
problems with our people or procedures?
Measure the cost benefit of using those PR folks
of yours in that monitoring capacity against the cost
of using professional survey firms to do the opinion
gathering work. You may find that using your public
relations people is the better bargain. But, whether
its your people or a survey firm asking the questions,
the objective remains the same: identify untruths,
false assumptions, unfounded rumors, inaccuracies,
misconceptions and any other negative perception
that might translate into hurtful behaviors.
At this juncture in the problem solving sequence,
establish a goal calling for action on the most serious
problem areas you uncovered during your key
audience perception monitoring. Will it be to
straighten out that dangerous misconception?
Correct that gross inaccuracy? Or, stop that
potentially painful rumor cold?
No one these days sets a goal without a supporting
strategy to show them how to reach that goal.
However, there are just three strategic options
available to you when it comes to doing something
about perception and opinion. Change existing
perception, create perception where there may be
none, or reinforce it. The wrong strategy pick will
taste like butterscotch syrup on your fish sticks, so
be sure your new strategy fits well with your new
public relations goal. You wouldnt want to select
change when the facts dictate a strategy of
reinforcement.
Here comes some real work. You must write a
persuasive message that will help move your key
audience to your way of thinking. It must be a
carefully-written message targeted directly at your
key external audience. Your very best writer will
be needed because s/he must produce really
corrective language. Words that are not merely
compelling, persuasive and believable, but clear
and factual if they are to shift perception/opinion
towards your point of view and lead to the
behaviors you have in mind.
Some view the next step as a wild and wacky part
of the effort — selecting the communications
tactics most likely to carry your message to the
attention of your target audience. There are many
available. From speeches, facility tours, emails
and brochures to consumer briefings, media
interviews, newsletters, personal meetings and
many others. But be certain that the tactics you
pick are known to reach folks just like your
audience members.
Fact is, HOW you communicate should also concern
you since the credibility of any message is fragile
and always up for grabs. Which is why you may
wish to unveil your corrective message before
smaller meetings and presentations rather than
using higher-profile news releases.
The thought that a progress report may be needed
usually pops up at about this point. Which means
you and your PR team should view the notion as
an alert to begin a second perception monitoring
session with members of your external audience.
Youll want to use many of the same questions
used in the benchmark session. But now, you will
be on strict alert for signs that the bad news
perception is being altered in your direction.
Of course, the reality that you can always speed
things up by adding more communications tactics
as well as increasing their frequencies, will be a
source of comfort for you should program
momentum slow.
So, its true. Sooner or later, virtually all business,
non-profit and association managers must alter
individual perception in a way that leads to changed
behaviors among their most important outside audiences.
Which translates this way: managers really DO need
public relations to achieve their managerial objectives.
end
